Archive for the ‘Environmental’ Category

Researchers have learned SO much in the past 10 years about risk factors for autism and other developmental delays that I included the word “prevention” in the title, and devoted a chapter to this subject in Outsmarting Autism. I was thus thrilled when a friend introduced me to a mother who runs a parent support group for families with members on the spectrum. She thought the group a good match as a host for me on my year-long book tour.

What a surprise when I received the following response: “Thank you so much for reaching out to me. To me, autism is not something that needs to be healed or prevented. I truly believe with all my heart that it is just as much a part of my boy as him having brown hair and hazel eyes, and I want folks to accept my boy and his neurology the way it is. I respect the fact that you have dedicated your life to what you believe in. But as you can see, I may not be the best person to help you reach your readers. Respectfully yours,”

At least she was civil; the next “push back” was not. The Executive Director of an autism support group cancelled an already scheduled and promoted book signing and talk, because I use the word “prevention” in the title. She accused me of attempting to eliminate individuals with autism. Those who have followed my 40-plus-year career of counseling families of children with disabilities know that my goal is neither annihilation nor elimination, but rather rehabilitation.

Clearly, as British homeopath Alan Freestone points out, there are two very divided camps on autism: Those who believe we can only increase autism awareness, but not function, and those whose goal is healing. I belong to the second contingent. Parents know that their children with autism are medically sick, not just quirky. Any parent whose autistic child has chronic diarrhea, sleep issues or unremitting epilepsy wants more than awareness. Haven’t the awareness folks read the desperate Facebook posts from moms who have been up every two hours bathing a child covered in feces or are sitting a vigil at a hospital where doctors are trying to stop a young boy from constant grand mal seizures? Maybe not. Well, I believe in prevention. My beliefs in prevention are not the same as believing in the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy. They are based in science and I will continue to educate couples who are interested. I do not need the naysayers in my ear. And here is what I tell them:

PRECONCEPTION

A year before conception, couples should start thinking about cleaning up their environments, changing their lifestyles, and getting rid of their body burdens. A full year out? Yes, because that’s how long it takes to replace the bad stuff, to learn about the good stuff, and for the body to detoxify safely. The steps I recommend not only improve fertility, discourage complications of pregnancy, miscarriage, and problems during delivery, but also improve the chances of having a healthy baby. Run Laboratory Tests I love tests. For over 30 years I administered diagnostic tests to help parents understand and make informed decisions about their children’s education, health and functioning. Tests only give you information; what makes information powerful is your freedom to decide what to do with it. Here are some tests to consider BEFORE becoming pregnant. None are routine; in most cases, you must discuss them with your doctor. If your doctor refuses to order them, you can also work with Life Extension Foundation, a membership organization. This is a wonderful Florida-based company sells both lab tests and high quality supplements. You have the blood work done at a local lab and one of their doctors interprets the results. They make money by selling supplements, but their prices are good, and a bonus is a periodic magazine of research that is worth the price of membership.

Identify toxic elements– The earlier in gestation toxic exposures occur, the more detrimental they can be to development. Every woman should know what toxins her body is holding before she gets pregnant, and detox appropriately, to assure that her baby isn’t exposed in those early weeks before a positive pregnancy test.

Doctor’s Data Lab offers a hair analysis of over 30 potentially toxic elements, including lead, mercury, arsenic, aluminum, copper, antimony and cadmium to which we are all exposed. According to Phillipe Granjean MD, internationally recognized environmental health expert, and author of the extraordinary book Only One Chance: How Environmental Pollution Impairs Brain Development- and How to Protect the Brains of the Next Generation, this inexpensive test is very predictive of the toxic load a pregnant woman dumps into her unborn baby. Shouldn’t EVERY woman have this test?

Screen thyroid function –Low levels of T4 or marginally elevated levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) can affect the unborn baby. Environmental toxins are endocrine disrupters. Insufficient levels or even a mild drop of thyroid hormone in the mother at critical stages of brain development can affect cognitive function in the fetus. Have complete thyroid testing done. Once you know your levels, take natural measures, such as adding iodine to normalize thyroid function.

Measure vitamin D levels – Every day we are learning about the importance of Vitamin D in health. In 2009 researchers concluded that vitamin D deficiencies in pregnant women should be considered a risk factor for neuro-developmental disorders such as autism. Vitamin D regulates thousands of genes in the human genome. The importance of prenatal, neonatal, and postnatal vitamin D supplementation cannot be underestimated. Vitamin D during gestation and early infancy is essential for normal brain functioning.

Insufficient vitamin D is a universal problem. You want your number to be over 30, even though 25 is considered “normal.” 40 is even better! If your level is low, start taking supplements at 2000-5000 units of D3 per day, preferably in more absorbable liposomal drops available from Biotics. Recheck in 3 months. High doses are sometimes necessary for a short time to elevate levels. To learn more about vitamin D, check out the Vitamin D Council.

Run an ELISA IgG test for food sensitivities – Your doctor can order this from a local lab. Look for gluten, casein, soy, egg, garlic, and other intolerances. Rotate mildly problematic foods and eliminate those with moderate to severe reactions.

Know your genetic profile – Go to 23andME and do a quick gene screening to pinpoint possible difficulties with detoxification. Work with a health-care professional to identify supplements that can remediate glitches called single-nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPs .

Run antibody titers – Find out which diseases you are already immune to by running blood titers. Make sure that you are not a hepatitis carrier. Put that in writing to prevent your baby from getting the Hep B shot at birth.

Remove any mercury-containing amalgams –Even one or two “silver” fillings off-gas into the mouth with brushing, chewing and drinking hot liquids. Mother’s mercury load crosses the placenta, landing in the liver and kidneys of the fetus. Infants’ levels correlate with the number of amalgams in the mother. Later, mercury shows up in the breast milk, which may provide better absorption of mercury in the nursing infant. Be certain to have amalgams removed safely by a biological dentist.

Detoxify the body – Mothers dump a good part of their body burden into their unborn babies. Consider a homeopathic detox program that clears out chemicals, metals, parasites, bacteria, viruses and radiation. The lower your toxic load, the lower the baby’s.

Check for retained reflexes– The Spinal Galant and Asymmetric Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR) assist the baby in maneuvering through the birth canal. Mothers who retain either of both of these reflexes may have difficulty giving birth naturally. The baby may not “drop,” be breech, or require a Cesarean section. Simple reflex integration activities for a month prior to birth can help the birth be smoother.

While Pregnant increase input in several areas:

Food – The old saying that goes, “Eating for two,” is correct. Make nutrient rich, not high caloric choices. Say “yes” to 75-100 grams of protein, organic fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, asparagus, spinach, nuts and free-range, antibiotic-free animals. Say “no” to sugar and its substitutes, wheat, dairy and hydrogenated fats. Say “once-in-a-while” to small, cold water fish and soy products. Take the time to sit down and eat slowly, chewing well.

Supplements – While the right, good quality foods can provide much needed nutrition, eating adequate amounts of some nutrients is simply impossible. Contraceptives and other medications can deplete minerals. Calcium, mercury-free fish oils, iron, folate and B vitamins are essential for growing babies. Work with a health care professional to determine the right amount for you.

Exercise – Stretch to increase flexibility. Walk or attend a class two or three times a week.

How many sonograms do you need? It is really exciting to see a baby in utero, know whether it is a boy or girl, and then call it by name. But, no one knows the long-term effect of sonograms on the unborn baby. A sonogram is sound…sound as loud as a plane’s engines revving up in a baby’s ears. One study showed, the more sonograms, the more likely the baby is to have ear infections. Another showed that babies later diagnosed with autism had endured three or more sonograms. Consider limiting them unless medically necessary, and not do them just out of curiosity.

TAKE HOME POINTS

Know the risk factors for autism. Limit exposures to toxins, while maximizing nutrition and health during preconception and pregnancy. Understand how your lifestyle choices support a baby’s health! Every child deserves to be healthy, have the opportunities to develop language, have friends and learn! Autism is preventable! Let’s start now!

With great excitement and pride I announce the release today of my second book, Outsmarting Autism: The Ultimate Guide to Management, Healing and Prevention. It is available on Amazon in both an e-book and a paperback, as well as from the publisher. As I watched the magnificent spray of fireworks brighten the skies over the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh last night, I secretly thought they were celebrating not just Independence Day, but also this momentous milestone of mine.

In 2008, I downloaded 40 years of experience and knowledge from my brain into EnVISIONing a Bright Future, my first book. It contains all that was known then about possible causes, treatments and management of autism spectrum disorders. I never dreamed that just as much NEW information would emerge in the next six years: genomic testing that explains in part why some kids become autistic, and iPads with amazing apps, are just a couple of additions. So…I just HAD to write another book!

Outsmarting Autism, like EnVISIONing in 2008, is the most comprehensive book available on what is now called Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). Whether you are new to the world of autism, are familiar with treatment options, or are a veteran who has “been there, done that,” this book is for you! Discoveries about possible etiologies and promising therapies are emerging so quickly that you are sure to learn something new.

Outsmarting Autism guides you step-by-step with practical information from a variety of fields that families, specialists, and educators can put to use immediately.

Don’t let the book’s mammoth size scare you. Even though it is over 500 pages, I have made it extremely easy to understand, and Cindy Coan’s amazing index allows you to find anything you are looking for quickly and easily.

I hope you will read Outsmarting in sequence. If you decide not to, at least read Chapters 2 and 3 on Total Load Theory and how today’s lifestyle has contributed to the autism epidemic, before jumping ahead. Autism did not just show up overnight. We now know the many risk factors, and how to be proactive and prevent more children from becoming affected. Individuals with autism are physically sick, and making healthy lifestyle changes, no matter how overwhelming they seem, can be the difference between management and healing.

This book could not have happened without the help and support of so many people. To the owner and staff at Word Association, my awesome editor, Kendra Williamson, and all of my colleagues and friends who contributed material, proofed and edited, and stood by me while I worked every day for the past two years, my deepest gratitude.

Outsmarting Autism is meant to challenge some of your beliefs. If you have questions, I have answers. “Like” the book on Facebook, and write me a comment. Go to Amazon and review it. Check out my website at www.OutsmartingAutism.com and see where I am speaking next. I will be launching the book in Denver and Boulder on July 29th. From 3- 5pm I will be at Proactive Wellness and at 7:30 pm at the Boulder Bookstore. In September, I am finalizing dates for New York City, Westchester and New Jersey. Want me to include your town on my year-long book tour? Let me know.

I have had a fairly broad religious education. I grew up in the 1950s in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood, and played primarily with Jewish friends as a young child. In fifth grade, I had the privilege of being admitted to an independent girls’ school, where I helped fill the quota of two spots allotted to Jewish students. When I moved away five years later, my space went to another Jewish student. In my Episcopal high school, I attended chapel daily, sang in the choir, and still know three verses to “Onward Christian Soldiers.” In graduate school at a Jesuit college, I met my first nun. I’ve studied both the old and new Testaments, and can recite many psalms and Biblical passages.

However extensive my experiences, I was not prepared for the profound religious connections I had in 2013. This year I was embraced, both spiritually and physically, by two amazing groups: Muslim parents in Kuwait launching a center for their young adult children with disabilities and a Methodist ministry sponsoring an autism conference closer to home. If you have been following my blog, you know about the former. The latter occurred this summer on the top of a mountain at a heavenly place called Jumonville, a retreat center an hour from Pittsburgh, where, on a clear day, you can see three states!

“Do they know you’re Jewish?” was one of the first questions many people asked when I told them about my invitations to go to Kuwait and be the keynote speaker at this year’s Autism Initiative. “I think so,” I said, wondering if it mattered. It didn’t. No more than my being female, having green eyes, or being over 60. In fact, it mattered so little that, at times, I felt closer to these warm, loving people than I did to many of my own faith. What did matter was that regardless of our beliefs about God, we had the same basic values, philosophy and goals toward people with disabilities: that every individual is deserving of respect and love, and the opportunity to thrive, not simply survive.

What surprised me was that no one proselytized, and that many asked questions about Judaism, attempting to broaden their own religious education. A few times I was embarrassed at how little I knew; most of all, I was proud of my heritage and its teachings that we all worship one God. When I looked at the faces of the men and women in traditional garb in Kuwait, they looked indistinguishable from those of the religious Jews in my childhood neighborhood. We were, if fact, distant cousins whose ancestors, many centuries ago, had wandered in the desert together.

The biggest message was that of acceptance. Few I met were ashamed of or embarrassed by their kids. No one watching the interactions among these families – mothers, fathers, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins – could have any doubt about the total inclusion of their relatives with special needs in the warm loving embrace of their families.

On the top of Jumonville Mountain I witnessed the same loving acceptance that I saw in Kuwait. Prayer was a major healing tool in both locales, and science confirms its power. While unconditional acceptance of our family is an enviable trait that many of us strive hard to attain, a tough question that kept nagging at my brain is this, “Are they maybe TOO accepting of their children as they are? And can unconditional acceptance interfere with seeking out therapies and treatments that can enhance potential?

I have spent a long career promoting a healthy diet, nutritional supplements, daily movement and exercise, glasses, environmental accommodations and more recently assistive technology. These are, in many cases, life-altering interventions. I will never forget the non-verbal Kuwaiti young woman with autism who, given an iPad, was communicating within minutes. Then there is the untoilet-trained ten-year-old with alternating diarrhea and constipation, who had normal bowel movements after three weeks on a gluten- and casein-free diet. And what about the sociable, verbal 30-year-old man with Fragile X syndrome who could not walk a straight line or catch a ball until fitted with prism lenses that corrected an eye turn?

Religion, no matter which one, and the latest medical science are indeed compatible partners. I am grateful for these invitations, and in retirement look forward to continuing to delve into some of the most rewarding experiences in my life.

Everyone is stressed! The fewer the stressors, the more opportunities for learning and development for children of all ages. Our goal is to identify and eliminate as many stressors as possible.

Environmental – Our homes and schools are full of stressors.
o Toxic Chemicals – Lead, mercury, antimony, aluminum, and other “heavy metals” reduce immunity, and interfere with the body’s ability to perform its many functions. Lead is “old news” and we know that any amount is unsafe for cognitive development. Every child should have lead levels tested.
Mercury, antimony, and aluminum are the “new” toxins that are also showing up in the bodies and brains of children with all types of delays. Their sources are power plants, ground water, petroleum plants, dental amalgams from the mother, vaccines, flame retardants, cookware, and other unlikely places. Read more about these metals here and here.
Green your building with non-toxic materials for flooring, paint, cleaning supplies, building products, art and office supplies.
Chemicals from disinfectants, cleaners, building materials and other supplies “off gas” and when a person breathes them, they are toxic to the body. They are especially harmful to people with compromised immune systems, and those who have asthma.
The standard benchmark for design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings is LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Find a green building in your city, learn who greened it and consult with them. Here is a handbook on how to green an existing building.o Air Pollution– Open the windows when possible. When too hot, make sure air conditioning equipment is clean and not moldy. Use HEPA (an acronym for “high efficiency particulate air”) indoor air filters throughout building. HEPA filters can trap a large amount of very small particles that vacuum cleaners recirculate back into the air.o Fluorescent lighting – Replace with bulbs that do not make noise or flicker. Use bulbs that offer the right color of lighting. Read this article on lighting.o Noise – Play soft, gentle music, such as Mozart, which is the same rate as the human heart beat. Read more information on “The Mozart Effect.”Biological – Our bodies are toxic waste dumps too. Reduce our exposures.o Water– Good hydration is essential for learning. Ensuring that our drinking water is pure is one of the most important steps we can take for children with developmental delays. Water should be available and offered frequently. Use water filters throughout the building.o Diet and Nutrition – What kids are eating can be the determining factor between health and sickness. This is especially true for children with developmental delays. Sugar is one of the most damaging of all products ingested. Read more about it here.
Encourage families to cook and not eat “fast food.” Help them understand the importance of a varied diet of natural foods, such as fruits, vegetables, good quality protein and good fats.
Research is showing that eliminating some foods from kids’ diets helps their development and learning tremendously. Many foods are shown to cause ear infections. Two types of foods that are particularly problematic for kids with delays are those containing gluten, the protein from wheat, and casein, the protein from dairy products. Read about gluten and dairy in many websites containing “gfcf.”
Children with Down syndrome have especially high nutritional needs. A company that specializes in the care and feeding of those with this genetic syndrome is Nutri-Chem, in Ottawa, Canada. The founder, Kent MacLeod, a pharmacist has written a book on the importance of diet and nutritional supplementation: Down Syndrome and Vitamin Therapy.o Allergies – Many kids with developmental issues have allergies, not only to airborne particles, insects, and other environmental pests, but also to foods. Some allergies are life-threatening and immediate, such as shellfish and peanuts. Others are troublesome, causing fatigue, rashes, respiratory and digestive problems, and are delayed, taking hours or even days to show up. Read about the different kinds of allergic reactions here.

Physical – The physical body needs a good sensory diet and sleep to reduce stress.o Movement– Use every opportunity to move to learn. Little children’s bodies learn by moving and using their senses of touch and having their muscles and joints take in sensations. Two good books about the importance of movement in learning are, Smart Moves: Why Learning is not all in Your Head, by Carla Hannaford, and Physical Activities for Improving Learning and Behavior by Cheatum. Obtain the workbook “Begin Where They Are,” with therapy activities, from http://oepf.org/product/begin-where-they-are-0.o Reflexes – Over 100 different reflexes are programmed into the body to get the body moving appropriately. If demands on the body are premature, before the reflexes are fully integrated, then delayed development can be the result. Learn about reflexes through an intensive training session. Learn more about reflexes at http://masgutovamethod.com o Vision – While some children have eyesight problems that can be corrected by glasses, others have vision issues, such as the two eyes not working together, in conditions called exotropia, esotropia and strabismus. Motor activities that are the foundation for vision development and the body must be strong to support binocular vision. The relationship between vision and learning can also be a training session for those at the center. To learn more about vision, read this.
A book explaining the role of vision in learning is How to Develop Your Child’s Intelligence by Getman.o Hearing – Listening is to hearing as vision is to eyesight. Although a child can hear, his brain may not process what it hears. Several “listening programs” are available to help children give meaning to what they hear. Look here for understanding of this area.o Sleep– Everyone needs uninterrupted sound sleep for their bodies to heal and repair. Pre-school aged children require 11-12 hours of sleep per night. Young children with disabilities might need more if they are contending with health issues. Help parents and teachers understand their kids’ need for rest periods. Read this.Educational – Schools are often unknowingly a source of stress too.o Inappropriate curriculum – All children learn in a predictable developmental sequence, just as they learn to walk before they run. We discourage teaching rote concepts such as the alphabet, counting and naming to young children. These skills will emerge when a child is developmentally ready. Here is an article on this subject.

o Non-ergonomic furniture – Sitting in small chairs when the trunk and head are not stable only results in compensatory techniques like tilting the head and rotating the hips. Replace hard, wooden chairs with soft gym mats, beanbags, cushions and pillows to help children develop core strength.

Emotional – Families have so many situations that add stress.o Unreasonable expectations – This stressor is tied to the one above related to an inappropriate curriculum. Children want to please adults, and when they cannot comply with expectations, they become discouraged. Make sure that requirements are consistent with a child’s developmental age.o Worries and fears– Some kids like being around many people; others find crowds difficult. It appeared that many of the children we saw were somewhat fearful of having so many adults watching and prodding them. Observations should be limited to one or two adults at a time until a child is comfortable emotionally.o Family Issues – Today’s families, especially those with multiple children with disabilities, are under a great deal of stress. They need support systems to help them cope. Offer parent and sibling support groups where adults and children can share their experiences and learn from each other.

Behavioral – Treating symptoms is never the right answer.o Medications – Pharmaceutical and over-the-counter drugs all have side effects which can cause behavioral symptoms as benign as restlessness and irritability, and as serious as rashes, seizures and fevers. They can also interfere with sensory processing, such as cause double vision and tactile defensiveness. Instead of treating symptoms, look for natural alternatives to prescription drugs, and search for underlying causes of illness, such as food allergies and toxicity,.o Screen Time – While young children are attracted to the bright colors, sounds and movement of objects on computers, iPads, and iPhones, these two-dimensional objects are not good for development. To learn, children need to touch and see objects in three dimensions, not on flat screens. Please consider replacing electronic toys with playthings made out of natural materials. For non-verbal children, speaking with real people is superior to speaking to a machine. Psychologist Jane Healy is the expert on brain development and screen time. Please refer to her books, Failure to Connect: How Computers Affect Our Children’s Minds — and What We Can Do About It, and Your Child’s Growing Mind: Brain Development and Learning From Birth to Adolescence.

Summary
Even with loving, supportive parents and teachers, the our lifestyle and environment add stress to the lives of our children with developmental delays. Start with the physical environment, and reduce exposures to noise, light, toxins and sensory overload. Every time you replace a product, purchase one of higher quality with fewer toxins. Gradually, stressors will reduce, and the home and school will be more conducive places for learning and growing.

Right before Christmas, I returned from my second mission to Kuwait. Now that the holidays are over, I want to share my impressions. I made my first trip there in May, when I was invited to assist with the launch of Center 21, whose motto is “putting the able in disabled.” This enormous undertaking is the brainchild of devoted parents who want their son and others to continue to learn and grow despite the fact that they are no longer eligible for educational services. Center 21 will provide therapeutic and recreational services for the thousands of young adults with disabilities in that tiny country squished precariously between Iran, Iraq, and Saudia Arabia.The Hosts
Lamia and Nabil and their children Abadi, Saud and Nadia, opened their home and hearts to us. Abadi, the inspiration for Center 21 remembered me, and followed the adult strangers around like a puppy dog, high fiving us over and over again. He was clearly communicating his welcome! His younger siblings, one in college, the other a high school senior, soaked up our knowledge, learning from us at every opportunity. One of Center 21’s volunteers, Fawzi, was our driver, tour guide, technology consultant, and caterer, anticipating and taking care of our every need from sightseeing to late dinner. My team of experts instantly fell in love with our hosts’ warmth and generosity. They made this venture so comfortable and enjoyable that it hardly seemed like work!The Team
This trip had one repeat member, my long-time friend and colleague, Aubrey Carton Lande, occupational therapist, award winning musician and horsewoman. Accompanying Aubrey and me on our excursion was Mary Rentschler, a specialist in Masgutova Neurosensorimotor Reflex Integration (MNRI®). Completing this international team were Scandinavian neuro-developmental optometrists Thorkild and Lena Rasmussen, whose unfathomable job it was to evaluate and prescribe treatment for the undiagnosed vision issues rampant in the special needs population. As team leader, my prodigious responsibility was as case manager, educator and priority-setter. What a humbling challenge for us all!The Mission
Whereas in May our emphasis was on visiting schools, government agencies and private organizations, this trip focused on providing individual assessments and services that could improve the quality of the lives of those with special needs. We set up serial evaluations with each expert, followed by group explanations of the role of each area in remediation, and the importance of continuity, support and follow-up by the families. In addition, similar to our previous trip, we delivered an evening conference in a magnificent ballroom, followed the next night by small group discussions on prioritizing therapies, sensory diets and reflex integration.

The Culture
Whoever would have thought that a nice Jewish girl from Pittsburgh would come out of retirement to hang out, joke with, and consult to Muslims in Kuwait? We bonded as humans with common goals and philosophies that instantly overrode our religious, educational, language, fashion and cultural differences. When speaking with parents, sometimes with a translator, my brain quickly disregarded the traditional dress worn by some, seeing only the love in their eyes, and the fear in their hearts. Kuwaiti parents are no different than my clients in the States.The Disabilities
After working for over 40 years with families of those with special needs, I thought I had seen it all. But nothing prepared me for the complexity of the issues facing these Kuwaiti families. While the country is oil rich, it is resource poor. When a young child receives a diagnosis, little remediation is offered. “Take your child with a disability home and love him,” most families were advised.

We met many individuals age four through the mid-twenties with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism, and global developmental delays. Because Center 21 is planning to have an outpatient facility providing occupational and speech therapy services to all ages, younger kids were included in our case load. Many parents had not one or even two children with diagnoses; several had three of eight or so children with serious disabilities under one roof. Only the loving care of live-in nannies from countries such as the Philippines and Nepal helped them cope.
Just like their American counterparts, families in Kuwait are grateful for and blessed by all of their children, regardless of ability. However, because prenatal testing is not performed in Kuwait at the drop of a hat as it is in the US, children with genetic syndromes are common, especially in families where marriage of cousins is not uncommon.
In the United States an estimated 92% of all women who receive a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome choose to terminate their pregnancies, according to Dr. Brian Skotko, a pediatric geneticist at Children’s Hospital Boston. In the absence of prenatal testing, the United States would have experienced a 34 percent increase in the number of Down syndrome births between 1989 and 2005, Skotko estimates. Instead, 15 percent fewer such babies were born during that time, representing a 49 percentage point difference between expected and observed rates, according to Skotko’s research review. Add to that other screenings, such as those for over 200 other known genetic syndromes, such as Tay-Sachs, that occur in specific populations, and the number of genetically different births is reduced even further.

The Children
Each expert spent more than an hour with about 20 children, a few of whom I introduced you to in my previous blog. For the repeats, we had the opportunity to delve more deeply, and to carve out a prioritized plan. Here are some of the complex cases we saw:

Dallal is the 16-year-old non-verbal young lady I introduced you to in my previous blog, who frequently rips off and breaks her glasses. In May, I had suggested a less strong Rx, blatantly practicing optometry without a license. Because she continued to reject even the weaker prescription, this summer her father decided to abandon the glasses altogether.
The examining optometrist determined that Dallal’s eyes turned out, a condition called exotropia, and that even the lower Rx stressed her brain to keep her vision binocular. Dr. Lena thus recommended no lenses at all, and replaced her glasses with some motor activities designed to strengthen her neck and adjacent muscles, thus allowing her eyes to work together more efficiently. In addition, Aubrey worked with Dallal’s parents to design a sensory room that provided her with deep proprioceptive input and calming activities to lessen her frequent agitation.

Abdullah, also 16 and non-verbal, has journeyed outside of Kuwait with his devoted parents in efforts to improve function and skills. His calm demeanor and healthy appearance are unusual for a male with an autism diagnosis. His mother shared that he benefitted greatly from a gluten- and casein-free diet, and had undergone a detoxification program. Yet, he experienced both extreme tactile and auditory defensiveness that prevented him from relating to strangers.
Addressing the tendon guard and Babinski foot reflexes calmed his extreme tactile defensiveness. Mary is hopeful that with continuous work, he will become available for other reflex repatterning techniques and eventually be ready to engage positively and communicate with others.

Mohammed is a teen with Down syndrome who looks more like nine than his 15 years. He has a winning smile that makes those around him melt. Totally loved and over-indulged by his family, he is courteous and compliant. He can tie his shoes, speak in sentences, and even read and write a little.
His glasses prescription for extreme myopia was also found to exacerbate his visual skill development, and was reduced. Work on his large motor skills quickly improved his grasp of a writing implement and his speech. Discussion about the importance of immune system boosting foods and supplements and a referral to Nutri-Chem and the book Down Syndrome and Vitamin Therapy by Nutri-Chem’s pharmacist founder, Kent MacLeod, rounded out his program.

Achmed is one of three boys with autism in a family of eight. His exhausted mother shared matter-of-factly that in addition to coping with her sons, she is the only daughter of a mother on daily dialysis, and is having some health problems of her own. Referencing the work of one of my heroes, Dietrich Klinghardt, MD, the alarm went off in my head for mercury poisoning. Klinghardt implicates mercury whenever a family has multiple children with autism diagnoses. I asked Achmed’s mother about her dental status, and she began to weep, showing me a mouth full of silver amalgams mixed with gold crowns: a veritable petri dish for disease. We discussed the importance of working with an expert in detoxification who knew how to remove mercury safely. Without biomedical intervention, this family cannot get well.

Yasmeen is a four-year-old whirling dervish with a single eyebrow that crosses her forehead. In an hour’s time she never stopped moving or emitting a high pitched scream. She eats corn flakes with milk for breakfast, spaghetti for lunch, and pizza for dinner, snacks on crackers and cookies all day, and washes everything down with milk. She has a brother nine months old who is covered in eczema. Her young parents, who are biologically related, were told that their daughter is autistic, and that nothing can be done for her. Last year her teacher suggested casting her arms and putting mitts on her hands to prevent her from self-abusing and touching others. Now that these torture devices have been removed, her hands are so weak, that she cannot use them functionally.
Yasmeen, like Achmed, is physically sick. I have no doubt that she is gluten and casein sensitive, and is ravaged with a combination of toxins, gut bugs, viruses, parasites and metals. All the sensory therapies and external interventions in my tool chest are impotent in trying to improve her function. We must start with nutrigenomic testing such as offered by Dr. Amy Yasko, to see what type of genetic abnormality this family is carrying, and offer supplements to correct the faults. Somehow, some way, we must improve her diet and get some nutrition into her. This case is urgent; the younger brother is another statistic waiting to happen.

Hussein is a young adult with severe cerebral palsy. He has little use of any of his limbs, and very poor head and eye muscle control. One of his legs is permanently perched in his lap, with the knee bent. He does not speak, but appears to understand what others are communicating, according to his sister, who is his advocate. He wears diapers, and is totally dependent upon caregivers for eating and moving from place to place.
Reflex work on Hussein’s feet left his muscles uncontracted for the first time in his life. He was able to release his leg to an almost normal position. He smiled broadly. His sister started to cry, and promised to continue the prescribed therapy daily.

The Causes
Why so many severe cases with such complex needs? Maybe it started with exposure to the chemical soup from the Gulf War oil fires, compounded by unknown viruses and bacteria, and exposure to heavy metals, mercury and who knows what else, that tweaked their genes in a unique way. Add an extremely aggressive vaccination schedule, the ubiquitous presence of American fast-food restaurants, and stressors such as a well-meaning early intervention program that gets kids walking before their bodies are ready, and you have the “total load.”

The Healing
In the short time we had, we introduced that concept that the body’s top priority is staying well, and that speaking, relating and learning had to take a back seat to digestion, respiration and detoxification. We spoke of the success many families we knew in the U.S. experienced when they combined biomedical intervention with sensory therapies to heal their children with autism, and to improve behavior in those with genetic syndromes and global delays.
When anyone seeks medical help at a hospital, the first step after hydrating and stabilizing the body is running tests to determine what is wrong. We urged our Kuwaiti families to follow this model. We distributed test kits from the Great Plains Laboratory to measure the basics: gut function, the presence of dangerous metals, bacteria, viruses, and parasites, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, immune system markers and more. Hopefully, parents will take the time to collect the necessary hair, stool, urine and blood to open the door to healing.The Future
As soon as possible, we plan to set up an online network so that parents can communicate with and support each other. Furthermore, we must also appoint case managers to provide continuous education and training. Without support and frequent check-ins families can easily become discouraged and drop out.
Nabil has suggested that we return in February to follow up and continue our work. Whenever we go back, careful monitoring is essential. We need to enlarge our team to include more vision specialists, as well as experts in assistive technology, psychology and counseling.
I would also love to host representatives of Center 21 to visit the United States and see model day, residential, vocational, biomedical, sensory, vision and other programs that they can emulate in Kuwait. If you know of a program I should include in the itinerary, please let me know.The Payoff
I can think of no more rewarding work than what I have been blessed to do this year. Stay tuned for a continuation of this journey. Lamia, Nabil and their children, Fawzi and his beautiful family, Achmed, Mohammed, Dalal, Abdullah, Yasmeen, Hussein, and the others we saw are my new extended family. I wish them and you a healthy and happy 2013.

It all started with an innocent email on April 12th. “Hi Patricia. We are Lamia and Nabil from Kuwait. We have an autistic son. We met you in 1996 in Washington, DC. Do you remember us? Our son was 5 at that time; he is 21 now. Awaiting your kind reply.”

Did I remember them? Are they kidding? How could I forget this wonderful couple and their adorable non-verbal son and toddler daughter. I fired back an instant reply: “Of course I remember you!”

Minutes later, another email: “Wow, nice hearing from you. Hope you are fine. We and a group of parents who are working to establish a center for special needs kids age 21 and above. The center was approved by the government a week ago. It’s a big project. Therefore, we are requesting that you and other consultants whom you recommend, visit us by end of May to discuss the preliminary stages of development. We want to contact you on Skype for further details.” I was trembling with excitement!

On Skype, we got down to business after laughing about what 15 years had done to our hair and figures. I was given a carte blanche to put together a team. Less than a month later, we hopped onto a United airbus, and in the middle of one of those famous desert sandstorms, landed in Kuwait.

Catching Up

Since Lamia, Nabil and I had had NO contact since 1996, they were unaware that I had run a non-profit organization for the past 15 years, written a book, or that exciting new therapeutic options existed for their son and others. They confessed that they had thought about trying to find me in the past, but only now did they ask their 17-year-old son to “Google” me. They described their pleasure when my photo appeared on the computer monitor; their delight could hardly have equaled mine.

When I decided to wind down DDR several years ago, many asked, “Patty, what will you do now?’ I responded, “I don’t know; something will come up!” Was Kuwait where my boundless energy was headed? To a country the size of New Jersey, over 6000 miles away, where over 3000 children born in 1991 were affected by the devastating oil fires? All I could think of was what horrendous damage breathing all those toxic fumes did to pregnant mothers and their babies.

My Team

I asked for a week to choose my team. After making many contacts, I was really fortunate to be accompanied by two amazing women: my long-time friend, occupational therapist Aubrey Lande, and a new acquaintance, special education teacher and art therapist, Becky Rutherford. Aubrey is a Boulder-based sensory processing expert, award winning composer and musician, expert horsewoman and Watsu (a combination of aquatic bodywork, massage, joint compression, shiatsu, muscle stretching and dance) instructor. Becky, a sixth grade teacher at Beaver Run Special School in Kimberton, PA, is an expert in Curative Education and the Camphill movement, both aimed at nurturing individuals with special needs toward leading full lives. She and I met at the Camphill Symposium a year ago. She still carried my business card in her purse, even though she was sure she would never see me again!

Our Assignment

Our mission was multi-faceted. We were to advise Kuwaiti professionals, officials and parents on all aspects of the proposed center, including curriculum, architecture and engineering, meet and consult with a dozen families, put on a conference, and visit every government agency and non-profit organization having anything to do with autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, genetic disorders and other developmental disabilities. In a week, in 110 degree heat, with a mandatory siesta each afternoon! We hit the scorching pavement running!

Our gracious hosts accompanied us to about a half dozen schools and centers, including ones for early intervention. In Kuwait, children are separated by disability, and the approaches are ones that go way back to the seventies. We observed toddlers sitting in hard, unforgiving chairs trying to match colors and shapes and teachers intent upon extinguishing unacceptable behaviors.

It’s a Small World After All

One of Kuwait’s top SLPs joined us and served as our unofficial interpreter. “Dr. Lulu” trained at the University of Cincinnati, where she shared that she lived with a Jewish family. “What was their name?” I asked, taking a stab. Would you believe they were good friends of my family?

One family shared a file folder of reports on their daughter, including a summary from a consultant in Baltimore who had met with them in 1994 when the parents sought medical advice at Johns Hopkins. The consultant had not seen the child, but took a history and wrote out her recommendations: 1) Begin a gluten-free, casein-free (GF/CF) diet. 2) Use supplements, including omega 3 and probiotics, 3) Have the child evaluated by an occupational therapist with background in sensory issues, 4) Get an evaluation by a developmental optometrist, and 5) Contact Patricia Lemer and join Developmental Delay Resources! I nearly feel off my chair! Although the report was dated May, 1994, it could easily have been written today. The same recommendations were appropriate!

Vision

Almost every individual with a disability we met had an untreated vision problem. Many had a strabismus, some a nystagmus. Almost none wore lenses, and those who did were over-prescribed (Yes, I’m practicing optometry without a license again!). One father told us that the eye doctor anesthetized his 15-year-old, non-verbal daughter with autism to determine her Rx. At least once a week she rips her glasses off her face and breaks them. He buys frames by the dozen and every weekend, combines usable components to make new pairs until he runs out of spare parts and has to buy another dozen. I muscle-tested different strengths of plus lenses on her and recommended one that was half strength. I’m waiting to hear the results!

Oil Rich, Resource Poor

Many think of Kuwait as a place where the streets are paved with gold and everyone wears Rolex watches; that’s a myth. Yes, the COUNTRY is rich and takes excellent care of its citizens, but the PEOPLE are just like us. While they do not have to pay taxes or worry about the cost of gasoline, they work hard to make a living. They are lawyers, accountants, computer specialists, investment bankers, and business owners. If they decide to go out of the country to seek help for their children with disabilities, it’s on their own nickel.

Occupational therapy (OT) and speech-language pathology (SLP) are both emerging fields, with new master’s degrees just becoming available at Kuwait University. Until the first classes graduate this year, like almost all other commodities, including food, cars and clothing, therapists are imported.

Multiple Disabilities

Few families have a single child with issues. Because they live with large, loving, extended families, many homes have several children with delays, including autism, Down’s and some rare genetic syndromes I never heard of. Obviously the chemical soup from the Gulf Wars, unknown viruses and bacteria, and combinations of heavy metals including depleted uranium, mercury and who knows what else, tweaked their genes in a unique way. I could not help but wonder if the deer tick that carries Lyme disease has a cousin who lives in date palms. Add an incomprehensible vaccination schedule that starts with tetanus shots for the pregnant mother at the fifth and seventh month, a hepatitis B shot at birth for the baby, and monthly boosters containing up to ten pathogens, and you have an immunological nightmare!

And the pattern of birth order defies everything we thought we knew about “toxic load.” The first couple of children may be neuro-typical, then one or more with autism, and then a couple more without delays. We also saw many females with disabilities. What’s that all about? Are estrogen levels low?

Parents Everywhere Have the Same Concerns

Our conference attracted over 100 parents and professionals who carefully wrote out questions and waited over an hour to query us in person. “Will my child ever lead a ‘normal’ life?” “How can I calm my two non-verbal adult sons with autism sufficiently so they can fly out of the country?” “How can I stop my son from masturbating?” “Two of my five children have autism and my wife is pregnant. How can I prevent my new baby from becoming autistic?” I really struggled to find solutions that were compatible with Kuwaiti culture, religious beliefs and family values.

Center 21

Lamia and Nabil and their friends are extremely concerned about what their son will do all day now that he has no school, no program, nothing to get up for in the morning. So they took the bull by the horns and petitioned the government for help. After a year of hard work, Center 21 was born. Kuwait is no different than the rest of the world, where those babies born at the beginning of the autism epidemic are turning 21 this year. The need is prodigious.

Center 21 will launch this summer with a small camp of a dozen or so individuals who have autism, cerebral palsy and variety of other special needs. It will gradually grow to 30 or so, and in the fall be housed in a villa. By 2013, hopefully it will expand to accommodate 100, and relocate to a renovated school building. Hiring will begin soon for bilingual Arabic-English speaking special educators, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists and recreational therapists.

While no statistics exist on numbers who are aging out of schools, the plan is to serve 1000 young adults with special needs by 2015 on a lively mall-like campus that includes villas, shops, cafes, a medical center, therapy rooms, art studios, a sports complex and more. A huge undertaking? You bet! And if anyone can accomplish this enormous feat it is these dedicated, determined parents!

For now my team’s job is to help the Kuwaitis understand the relationships between health, sensory processing and behavior. I think if we can accomplish that, our work will be rewarded by seeing these beautiful young adults become more functional.

Next Steps

I cannot wait to set up a testing program to evaluate, identify and prescribe treatments for the underlying biomedical issues. Thyroid problems, vitamin D, essential fat and other nutritional deficiencies are clearly rampant. We have already started working with Great Plains Laboratory and New Beginnings Nutritionals in this regard. A Kuwaiti pharmacy is prepared to import whatever supplements are necessary to treat underlying problems.

I hope to return to Kuwait in the fall, as the Kuwaiti’s say often, “In sha Allah.” Lamia, Nabil and their extended families were such generous hosts. We parted in tears with promises to stay in touch. Putting together a team of developmental vision experts is my next goal. Some lenses, prisms and simple visual therapy activities can make a HUGE difference for these young adults. I believe we can “buy” 10-15 IQ points with these measures that take stress off the nervous system and free up energy for other functions. Is it too late? Never!

I am heartened by one touching “thank you” I received from a father, who told us that all he wanted was for his 21-year-old daughter to be happy. “You taught me so much, and believe me, if I had the chance, I would be your house boy to learn from you. Friends come into our lives and go out of our sight, but they are always in our hearts. You will be always with us here in Kuwait. You are a second family and country, and if you are in this part of the world again, please come and see us.”

I just spent three days in New York glued to every word from my favorite genius, Dietrich Klinghardt, MD, PhD . My head is spinning! I want to shout his knowledge from the top of every mountain and have it echo across the world. Instead, I will have to depend upon the magic of the Internet and cyberspace to get the word out. Here are some of the highlights bursting from my brain in no particular order.

Electro-smog – My daughter says I am obsessed with the dangers of electro-magnetic fields, and maybe I am. Listening to Dietrich and Magda Havas, PhD, a Canadian expert on the subject, is chilling. The biological effects of electromagnetic pollution are only beginning to be understood. With exposures escalating at exponential rates, electro-smog is being associated with an increasing number of diseases and conditions.

Electro-smog refers to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and radio frequency radiation (RFR) generated by our use of electricity and wireless devices. It includes High frequency radiation from microwaves, cellular phones and wireless, Intermediate frequencies from “dirty electricity” emanating from transformers, fluorescent lighting, computers and plasma televisions and Low frequency fields from computers, copiers, clock radios and electric heaters.

Here’s a couple of gems that I gleaned: 1. The keyboards of laptop computers send dangerous radiation into your hands! Solution: Attach an external keyboard. 2. Exercising on a treadmill raises blood sugar markedly because of the EMFs! Solution: Exercise out-of-doors. 3. Compact fluorescent light bulbs give off high levels of EMFs! Solution: Stock up on incandescent bulbs or change to LEDs. 4. Teachers in “hot rooms” in schools (computer labs especially) took far more “sick” days than other teachers! Solution: Get out of computer labs!

General solution: Buy a Gauss meter and take measurements of EMFs at home and school. Purchase filters for electrical outlets that block dirty electricity. Remove all computers, plasma TVs and wireless phones from the bedroom. For more information on this important subject, go to www.lessemf.com and www.stetzerelectric.com

PANS is the new name forPANDAS – What used to be known as PANDAs for Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder associated with Strep has been shortened to PANS for Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome because bugs in addition to strep are causing the same obsessive-compulsive symptoms. See Scientific American February 2, 2012. Lyme and Mycoplasma bacteria, Epstein Barr Virus, and bartonella (the bug that causes “cat scratch” disease) are just a few that have been added to the list of infectious triggers.

Tonsils: “the Achilles heel of the human condition” – The big news is what Klinghardt brings to the PANS discussion. He believes that these bugs live in the infected tonsils of their human hosts, and he has designed a very complex treatment including injecting them, with procaine and ozone, gargling with a fermented product rich in biofilm-dissolving enzymes, and, as a last resort removing them with cryotherapy (burning them off) so they will regenerate. Read about this procedure in an article from the DDR newsletter.

Cats do not belong in the home – I am a cat lover. My 18-year-old Tussy Pat decided not relocate from Maryland to Pittsburgh two weeks before my move, and I have not replaced her. After listening to the dangers of having a cat in the house from Dietrich, I’m actually happy I made that decision. He believes that bartonella is one of many critters that prefer humans to their feline hosts. The bugs jump and the whole family gets sick. Solution: Not cats on the bed or sofa. They belong outside where they can catch mice, their reason for existence! Is your cat making YOU sick? Read this new article in the Atlantic.

Doctor your water – We’ve all heard that we are supposed to drive eight glasses of water a day. Any water? Absolutely not, according to Klinghardt! Tap water needs to be treated by reverse osmosis to remove fluoride. Also add electrolytes and minerals. Good hydration is an essential foundation for the kidneys BEFORE starting any detoxification program. Klinghardt also believes that dehydration can lead to mitochondrial disorders by slowing down the speed of electrical impluses.

Sleep safely – Along with good hydration, a safe sleeping environment are the two most important factors for health. In addition to removing all EMFs from the bedroom (see above), he puts suggests a sleep “cocktail” made up of tryptophan, 5HTP and lithium oratate for all his patients. For those with severe insomnia he also recommends the use of a cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) machine for 20 minutes between dinner and bedtime. Stimulation is applied through electrodes placed on the ears. The efficacy and safety of CES therapy is supported by many studies in the US and in the former Soviet Union where it was developed in the 1950’s. A doctor’s prescription for its use for sleep disorders is required.

Parasite testing – As I discovered personally, stool testing for parasites is notoriously unreliable. Klinghardt helped me understand why. The live bugs rarely come out, and if they do, they secrete a film that within 15 minutes makes them invisible! Only “fresh” poop can show parasites, so either buy a high-powered microscope or go to a lab that is prepared to whisk the stool sample away immediately and test it. Forget those which require freezing and mailing.

New Homeopathics – Dietrich has formulated some new remedies that are prepared in a special energetic matrix of sacred water, natural amino acids, minerals and vitamins. The frequencies of the peptides and remedies are imprinted energetically, using a newly developed laser/electromagnetic technology from Europe. These homepathics are far less expensive than other treatments for resolving autoimmunity issues, treating co-infections of Lyme, and assisting with the transport and elimination of heavy metals. Order from www.BioPure.eu

Activated Charcoal depletes Vitamin C – This oft-used “harmless” product should be replaced by MicroSilica, which not only absorbs excess water in uncontrollable diarrhea, but also activates detoxification enzymes.

These are only a few of the many pearls I gleaned from my three days in New York. If you are interested in more, I strongly recommend purchasing the proceedings, which will be available in April from the Klinghardt Academy, www.klinghardtacademy.com. Better yet, go to one of Dietrich’s upcoming trainings and experience his magic yourself.

Do “green” schools positively impact students’ achievement and teacher performance? Common sense says “yes.” Recent studies now pinpoint the factors that make the difference, according to Vivian Loftness, Professor at Carnegie Mellon University School of Architecture.

I learned so much yesterday at the “Green and Healthy Schools Conference,” held at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, one of Pittsburgh’s hidden gems, showcased last year by Barack Obama’s G-20. This was my second year attending this amazing conference, co-sponsored by the Green Building Alliance. In case you didn’t know, Pittsburgh is a national leader in “greening” old buildings. That’s one of the reasons I love living here.What is a “green School” anyway? Many people think it is one that is energy efficient. Well, that is only one of its attributes. Green schools also save water and waste, are toxin-free, and connect interiors with the outdoors.How do we measure whether greening a school environment is worth it? The following are considered meaningful outcomes:
• Increases in students’ test scores, as well as teachers’ productivity and retention.
• Decreases in teacher and pupil absenteeism and the number of asthma emergenciesGreen Schools are:
• Dry and stay dry – Excess moisture, including condensation on machinery, grows mold, which causes sickness. One of the first cases of pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) I ever saw was in a girl attending kindergarten in a moldy church basement. As soon as she changed schools, she no longer fit that label. See my article on that subject. Ultra-violet light and sunshine reduce mold growth.
• Comfortable temperatures – Doesn’t letting light and sun in create glare and over-heating? “Dress” your school as you would yourself, according to season, suggests Loftness. Shutter and shade them in hot months and filter them in winter. Choosing proper materials for the roof and walls also helps control the thermostat.
• Well-ventilated – Which has better quality, indoor air or outdoor air? You may be surprised that “fresh” air from the outdoors wins hands down. Study after study says, “Open the windows!” Naturally ventilated classrooms outperform mechanically ventilated ones because heating and air-conditioning systems are chronically under-maintained. As carbon dioxide levels raise, performance drops.
• Quiet – Ambient noise is a problem, especially for our youngest students who are just learning speech and language. Noise from the street (cars, trucks, sirens, trains), air (planes), machinery (heaters, projectors), and adjacent spaces, interferes with learning. One study showed a 21% increase in productivity by decreasing noise.
• Clean – Good, “green” cleaning matters. No-touch faucets, doorways and spraying keyboards, desktops, toys and other shared spaces reduces sickness. So do non-toxic products made with vinegar, tea tree oil and baking soda.
• Well-maintained – On-going maintenance of the building structure is critical. The poorer the maintenance, the higher the drop-out rate for students and teachers. Obviously, no one at the top cares, why should they!
Surprisingly, lighting is not one of the crucial factors. Why? Because most schools are well-lit, according to Loftness. Performance does change, however, using different types of lights. Robin Mumford’s lamps have been shown to increase reading performance in young children.What can YOU do to “green” your school and make it healthier for your students?
• Start a “green” committee
• Get students involved by making your school a “living laboratory” with projects such as a “rain garden” built into the curriculum
• Switch to integrated pest management and non-toxic cleaning materials
• Maintain your building with “green” products
• Read Greening Our Built World by Greg Kats
Have fun being “green,” and let me know what you are doing!

PBS stations nationwide ran a documentary last week on FRONTLINE entitled The Medicated Child. Marcela Gaviria produced this piece in an effort to respond to the dramatic increase in the number of children with serious psychiatric diagnoses, including bipolar disorder. The program also was to focus on the one-size-fits-all treatment with untested pharmaceutical medications that doctors are prescribing for these children.

According to child psychiatrist Dr. Patrick Bacon, trying medications on young children is really an experiment…a gamble… we do not know what’s going to work. I tuned in with great anticipation, hoping at last to see some expert reporting on alternatives to drugs, whcih can cause serious short-term reactions and unknown long-term effects. What I saw instead were many sick kids with black circles under their eyes, obvious vision problems and nutritional deficiencies that no one was talking about!

The trailer promised that the producer would “confront psychiatrists, researchers and government regulators about the risks and benefits of prescription drugs for troubled children.” Yet this film and its doctor experts offered few alternatives.

The Parents’ Guide written by Harvard Medical School child psychiatrist Joshua Sparrow to accompany the documentary “provides background on the issues associated with treating a child with psychiatric medications.” Unfortunately, it too falls short of giving parents and teachers any practical alternatives.

In the section entitled Observing, Describing and Understanding Your Child’s “Out-of-Control” Behavior, Sparrow offers several bullet points. I reproduce them here with my edition of the type of information I wish he had provided.

Hyper- or hypo-reactivity to sensory stimulation such as lights, sounds and touch

Triggers – All behaviors are reactions to something in the environment. Common triggers are:

Foods. Some kids’ digestive systems react to popular foods, such as dairy products, gluten (the protein in wheat and other grains), eggs, chocolate and soy. In babies who have any of the above digestive warning signs, food is suspect. The reaction may not be immediate. I watched one child gradually dissolve an hour after a lunch of pizza and milk.

Food additives. Artificial colors, flavors and preservatives, such as BHT cause behavioral issues in susceptible kids. The Feingold Association has known this for years and is available to help. Excitotoxins, such as fluoride, MSG and aspartame can all cause behavioral and psychiatric problems.

Pesticides and cleaners. Many kids react to products used to exterminate bugs and eliminate bacteria. Behavioral issues are more common on Mondays than any other day, due to schools being cleaned on Friday and closed up all weekend.

Chemicals from carpets, paints and other building materials. Any building with new construction or renovation is suspect. Formaldehyde from new cabinetry, fabrics and carpets can set off many kids. The fumes from new paint are also toxic.

Perfumes and air fresheners. Some people become literally psychotic from breathing the artificial smells from these products.

Contexts, settings – The cafeteria and playground are common “meltdown” arenas. Why? Because of the noise levels, bright lights in the former and possible mold, sprays and pollen in the latter. I know one boy who acted out every time he went to the “reading room” where the teacher had placed a lovely, toxic, area rug. Everyone thought he hated reading. What he hated was the rug, and when it was removed, he was fine!

Symptoms – Symptoms are very individual and sometimes subtle. Doris Rapp, MD has been an expert on this for many years. Some kids go into meltdowns. Others may get spacey, talk too loudly, put their hands over their ears, stomp their feet, run in circles, scream, cry, kick, self-stimulate, throw things. Some may be seeing double, become unfocused, stare out the window, look “depressed,” get sleepy, blink, look out of the corner of their eyes, fiddle with their clothes, masturbate, mouth objects. Any and all of these symptoms must be looked at diagnostically, rather than as behaviors to extinguish.

Aftermath – Timing, frequency and recovery periods are crucial to evaluate. Keeping good records will help in the Sherlock Holmes process of pinpointing and eliminating triggers.

Effect on overall functioning – Environmental reactions can interfere with a child’s learning, social relationships, sports performance and consume a family’s emotional and financial resources. Make changes for all family members and the whole class rather than just for the behaviorally reactive child.

Up the nutrition with foods and supplements – Add essential Omega 3 fats such as cod liver oil and flax. Studies show conclusively that good quality fats are efficacious alternatives to drugs

See an occupational therapist (OT) – Have the child evaluated for sensory integration problems by a private therapist who can pinpoint underlying reflex integration issues, tactile defensiveness, vestibular dysfunction or auditory processing problems. Sensory-based OT can program the nervous system to respond in a more balanced way.

See a developmental optometrist (OD) – Make sure the two eyes are working together as a team and that the brain is giving proper meaning to what it sees. With an eye turn, depth perception is impossible. Sometimes eye turns occur only intermittently and must be diagnosed by an expert. Therapeutic lenses and vision therapy that includes activities to help the eyes and brain work better together can alleviate behavioral and learning issues.

Congratulations to FRONTLINE for recognizing the serious risks medications for bipolar and other disorders pose. We heartily agree with them that research and insurance coverage for non-medication treatments are under-funded, and recommend that treatments such as these deserve further investigation.

We can also concur that the forty-fold increase in the number of children and adolescents diagnosed with bipolar disorder over the past 10 years might be due to preventable causes. The simultaneous increase in environmental toxins, reliance on technology such as computers and television, and changes in food nutrient contents and genetic engineering are just a couple of obvious areas to consider.

Thank you to the parents who took the time to tell their own stories of drug horrors and success with the Feingold program, naturopathy and other “natural’ solutions. Add yours! Maybe one day PBS will give us a useful commentary on how to prevent and help kids without drugs. I sure hope so! In the meantime, you can find out about more therapies that work in my book EnVISIONing a Bright Future.

Everything changes: winter to spring, summer to fall, youth to adolescence, health to illness. We expect, accept and adapt naturally to the irreversible cycles of the seasons and to aging. Changes from health to illness and illness to health are not so predictable and irreversible. We can beneﬁt from ﬁne tuning our responses to these changes.How people deal with change is the basis for a profound, new, little book, Who Moved My Cheese?, given to me by my dear friend Diana Henry, OTR. Cheese, a metaphor for what we want in life, is elusive. As I read the book, I saw how its wisdom can help us attain our “cheese” — good health and function for our kids.

CHANGE HAPPENS: NOTICE IT

Health changes appear ﬁrst in those subtle differences in skin, digestion and behavior. Do those little bumps persist? Is elimination less regular? Are sleep patterns disturbed? In many children these early warning signs are precursors of later developmental delays, including PDD, ADD and autism.

How many of us would love to rewind the clock and return to that ﬁrst year of life when our babies had eczema, thrush, reﬂux, colic or croup? Instead of using palliative creams, laxatives or antibiotics, we might have searched for possible causes and responded differently. Could we have prevented yeast infections and asthma? If health means balance in the body¹s systems, sickness is an imbalance or disharmony among those systems, manifested by bumps, diarrhea and ﬁtful sleep. Let’s inform new mothers about alternatives that could help avoid later developmental, speech/language and learning delays in their children.

THE BODY ADAPTS

Survival depends upon an organism’s capacity to maintain balance or equilibrium. When eczema disappears with the use of a cream, the unaddressed imbalance that caused it goes deeper into the body and effects inner organs. Thrush, a mild fungal infection in the mouth, can become a systemic yeast infection. A case of mild reflux is often followed by chronic constipation or diarrhea; croup, which is mild, by chronic, incapacitating asthma.

…AND SO DO WE

Change occurs not only with our kids. Without other options, well-intentioned families and schools accommodate children’s out-of-balance behavior. They modify the home and school environment, providing structure, support, special education services and therapies of all kinds. In the meantime our children are getting sicker. The disequilibrium is still there, we’re just handling it better.

What if the parents had also changed their children’s diets by removing dairy and wheat products and started them on vitamins, essential fatty acids and other supplements? These important actions could be steps on the road back to balance.

CHANGE YOUR PHILOSOPHY, CHANGE YOUR LIFE

Changing one’s philosophy about sickness and health can be life-changing. If you believe that a child’s diagnosis is permanent, then you will adapt and adapt, not look for recovery. If, however, you change that philosophy, then you have hope.

“Get over it,” says Karyn Seroussi to those complaining about how hard the GF/CF diet is. She did, and look at the miraculous results. I know of another entire family that, inspired by her book, did the diet to support their child with autism. Not only did he improve, but so did his brother with asthma and his mother with endometriosis!

WE MUST RE-ADAPT AS CHILDREN CHANGE FOR THE BETTER

Sometimes we forget how much we’ve adapted the environment and our behavior. Then what needs to happen when our children improve? Yes, we must change again! This realization became very clear to me last week, when I evaluated a child with signiﬁcant oral motor needs. His occupational therapist had provided him with a “chewy” to help him stay organized during the testing. He entered the room gnawing on it with great relish. As the testing progressed, he became increasingly focused and the chewy fell out of his mouth. He was so rapt in attention that he didn¹t even notice. His mother panicked, however, and admonished him to put it back in. The truth was that he didn’t need it. His chewy was a means to an end. It had done its job, and for a few precious moments, this little boy was focused!

Think about some of the changes for the worse you have observed in your children. Reﬂect on how you adapted. Are you now in a good position to anticipate changes for the better, and readapt as they occur? I hope so. In the meantime, “Be ready…. they keep moving the cheese!”